‘I firmly believe we have the potential to compete at the very highest level.’ National coach Arjan Veurink is not one for grand statements. But these carry weight. He has been national coach for a year now and has clear plans: to qualify for the World Cup in Brazil and to become one of the world’s top teams. As was the case in 2021. Back then, thanks to winning the 2017 European Championship and taking silver at the 2019 World Cup, the Netherlands were in the top three of the FIFA rankings. Since then, the Oranje have been overtaken and now sit in tenth place. What does it take to rejoin the world’s elite? Veurink is clear: “Playing with passion, fighting for one another, daring to make mistakes and making amends for them. We really need to manage to do that consistently.” The World Cup in Brazil kicks off in less than a year’s time. The Dutch national team has not yet qualified. They will have to do so in the play-offs in the coming weeks. The Netherlands must get through two qualifying rounds in October and November. The bitter truth is that the Netherlands could have already secured their place following surprisingly good results against France, but threw it away themselves in June with a 3-2 defeat to Ireland. That team played compactly and kept the pitch tight, meaning the Netherlands were unable to capitalise on enough chances. And Ireland successfully looked to hit them on the counter-attack. It is Veurink’s only defeat as national team manager to date. “In that match, a lot was demanded of us when we had the ball,” he says at the KNVB campus in Zeist. “Creating enough chances in such situations is an area for improvement.” That attacking challenge is also to be expected in the upcoming matches, first on 9 and 13 October against Hungary, ranked 45th in the world, and then Turkey (46) or Slovenia (38). On paper, they are weaker opponents, whom he expects to sit deep. “That’s really a trend in football at the moment.” As assistant manager of the England team, 40-year-old Veurink recently won two European titles in a row (2022 and 2024) and a silver medal at the World Cup (2023). If anyone understands what it takes to reach the top, it’s Veurink. “The squad must show the intensity needed to improve, day in, day out.” The willingness to give your all every day is the key – whoever is on the pitch. “I don’t really believe in a fixed line-up of eleven players. I do, however, believe in a consistent approach to the game and a consistent style of play.” He saw this, amongst other things, in the first qualifying match against France, which they won 2–1, even though the Dutch side were missing a great deal of experience. No fewer than seven key players, who between them had 772 international caps, were ruled out through injury in the run-up to that match. “The tactics, both in attack and defence, held up. For me, that’s a very important yardstick for gauging how far a team has come in terms of squad depth. And as far as the core of this team is concerned, things are definitely looking good.” Looking back on his first year as national coach, it is precisely the depth of the squad that has surprised him the most. “There are plenty of talented players ready to step up. Think of Lotte Keukelaar and Renee van Asten, but also Wieke Kaptein and Veerle Buurman. Very young players whom we already consider to be established stars.” Now that the core of the squad is in place, the national coach hopes to work towards greater consistency. To perform well in every match. It’s all in the little things. “Think about preparation, training properly, recovering properly, day in, day out. That’s a key focus for the future.” Veurink knows that the English Football Association has a bigger budget for this than the KNVB. “It does make things a bit easier sometimes. At the same time, that has always been the Netherlands’ strength: creativity and innovation. We mustn’t forget that, because we’re absolutely brilliant at it.”   submitted by   /u/Roller95 [link]   [comments]